LETTERS: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, POSTAL SERVICE AND MORE

Care act not hurting religious freedom

Regarding the Aug. 3 editorial, “Setback for attack on religious freedom”: No one’s personal religious freedom is being assaulted by the Affordable Care Act. The government is not asking anyone to change their personal beliefs or personal practices. No one is being persecuted because of what they personally believe or personally practice.

That’s the protection that was “enshrined in the Constitution,” not a business’ right. A business doesn’t get the right to choose, a person does. What you’re basically saying is the business has the right to enforce its beliefs upon its employees. That’s your idea of religious freedom?!

The editorial notes, “This country was founded as a haven for individuals who wanted to live their lives in ways that cohered with their religious beliefs … ” – individuals, not businesses. What is infringing on the right of individuals is having to pay for others who don’t have health insurance, and that is what the ACA alleviates.

Kay Moran

Clairemont

The argument assailing the Affordable Care Act’s “appalling assault on religious freedom” no doubt will be expanded to the extreme by employers to justify denying health care to their employees in myriad ways.

The employee with a spinal-cord injury will be denied cutting-edge treatment by his Catholic Church insurer because it utilizes stem cells. ER bills to keep an employee’s teen daughter from bleeding to death after she uses a coat hanger for an abortion will be denied as the church argues it should not pay for medical care necessitated by a willful mortally sinful act. The Scientologist will not cover psychiatrist bills to treat an employee’s depression. The dogmatic Christian Scientist will insist his sick employee try spiritual healing and deny coverage for antibiotics. The Muslim employer will not pay for vaccines or medicines if they are derived from pigs, or if they are administered by female doctors to male patients. The Mormon employer will deny treatment to the alcoholic in need of a liver transplant as the affliction results from deliberate immoral life choices.

Instead of worrying about government getting between patient and doctor, worry about the potential misuse of religious “freedoms” that will allow employers to keep the patient from the doctor.

Bill Eiffert

San Diego

A half-truth

Those who quote the Second Amendment (“White House: No push for new curbs on guns,” July 27) in opposition to gun control usually only recite the part that says, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” What is usually omitted is the beginning of that amendment, which states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary for the security of a free state … .” The reference to regulation is part of that constitutional guarantee. The silence of the politicians on this issue is deafening.

Lawrence Solomon

La Jolla

Congress treating Postal Service badly

Recent news that the U.S. Postal Service will miss its next pension payment should have included the fact that the post office has its hands tied by our inept Congress. My mail each day has a majority of “junk” direct mail, including political stuff, catalogs and business mail. All of this is delivered at far below cost, because the post office is not allowed by Congress to raise direct mail rates. The private companies that all “compete” with the Postal Service are allowed to skim off more lucrative parcel delivery and “certified/insured” mail – without having the burden of direct mail. It is unfair to demean our Postal Service for not meeting its periodic pension payments when Congress continues enforcing direct mail subsidies (so that we can keep getting more junk) supporting big business and politicians.